Desire to clean, be outside are symptoms of spring fever

by NoneMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, March 28, 2010

By Jessica Marie

Flocks of students have returned to school, leaving their hearts and minds on that week-long vacation called spring break. Many adults indulged in the same luxury that often is reserved for students. And even people who did not get to enjoy a vacation still find themselves afflicted by spring fever.

As winter rolls out, spring fever hitches a ride in on its coat tails, blowing in like West Texas dirt on a windy day. And as soon as the temperatures rise, spring fever is every where. It's very contagious.

You may know you have caught the fever if you have the sudden urge to clean. I am normally not stricken by the urge to clean anything, but I find myself bothered by an itch to clean my room, and to throw away half of what's in it. This is called spring cleaning Many people I know already have embarked on missions to clean out their lives.

Spring fever doesn't always wait for spring time before it hits. Another symptom of is wearing flip flops, shorts and tank tops, and swimming outside even when it is still technically winter. Of course, here in West Texas, no one blinks an eye if someone is wearing flip flops in the middle of February, when in other parts of the country, snow is still falling.

Another symptom of spring fever is wanting to always be outside, day dreaming about being outside, and even refusing to do your work because you really just would rather be outside. Many people see spring fever as a legitimate excuse to not do their work, go to work, or go to class, although most bosses and teachers probably wouldn't agree with that — unless, they too had a case of spring fever.

But some people don't get lazy with spring fever. Some get restless; some just want to party. Actor Robin Williams once said, "Spring is nature's way of saying 'let's party!"

Spring supposedly also is the time for falling in love, or so they say. I don't know who "they" are, but I'm pretty sure the fever had gotten to their minds. If I fall in love this spring, then that will prove me wrong, or perhaps prove that spring fever is more powerful than we'd thought.

Well, I don't know if love really is in the air, but I do know that I want to clean out my closet and skip work tomorrow; however, rest assured, I will not skip work, and I probably won't clean my closet either. But if you find yourself cleaning out your closet, or falling in love, don't bother trying to fight it because you've probably already caught spring fever.